A teen boy has been brutally and horrifically murdered, and after a short investigation, Detective Ralph Anderson is confident that the perpetrator is a pillar of the community, his son's (and many other young boys') little league coach, Terry Maitland. After a very public arrest, during a championship game in front of thousands of people, questions begin to arise about Terry's guilt.
Terry's fingerprints and DNA evidence are everywhere. There are multiple eyewitnesses that place him with the victim and with blood on his clothes. But...Terry has an airtight alibi, corroborated by several colleagues. He was miles away from the victim at the time of the crime.
How can this be?? Well, The Outsider tries to explain. I really don't want to say too much else about the plot, but that should be enough to hook you. King's usual ability to ramp up the tension, as well as the dread, shines as The Outsider progresses. A character from the Mr. Mercedes series makes a large contribution, but it isn't necessary to have read those books. I've only read the first one, and there are several references made to that case that were entertaining but not essential to understanding.
This is the kind of stuff that can give you nightmares. And the door is open for a sequel to The Outsider, which I would happily welcome. If you are a King fan, this is classic Steve. Don't miss it.
Published by Scribner, May 22, 2018
eBook obtained from the library
576 pages
Rating: 5/5
Great review! I still need to read this and Mr. Mercedes. I’m glad you liked it.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Oh, I really enjoyed this one, too, which was fun since I don't read scary King books. It got a bit much for me at the end, but I liked it a bunch.
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